Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Names More Than Numbers

I'm not going to crunch campaign finance numbers tonight. Yeah, I've seen 'em and they coulda been better.

I want to talk about Zach Wahls. And I want to talk about Tim Dwight. Two remarkable young - I guess Dwight is still young for a "retired" guy at 38 - young leaders from Iowa City, famous statewide and nationwide for very different reasons.

Zach Wahls stood up against powerful opposition and told a compelling personal story that captured a nation.

Zach traveled all over the country and has now returned home to Iowa to continue his work and build a life. Check out his editorial in today's Daily Iowan.

It’s the worst kept secret in Republican politics that the party’s
nominee in 2016 will be far, far to the right of Mitt Romney and John
McCain, assuming of course that they can find a candidate who will
remember that crucial third thing. (And they probably will.) The
Republican base is convinced that the party’s candidates in 2012 and
2008 were not conservative enough to rustle the interest of the American
electorate. Hard as that may be to believe, listening to 30 minutes of
conservative talk radio will back me up on this.

Tim Dwight also stood up against powerful opposition and also captured a nation.

Tim also traveled all over the country, and he has also returned home to Iowa to build a life and start a new career. Check out his profile in the current Little Village.

"Iowa is a good place to do business. I believe people in Iowa see how wind has helped this state with job creation, tax base and a clean fuel: Solar will do the same. Education needs to happen and once that does, people will then make the choice. There’s nothing better than working with a bunch of motivated people to change the world for better, one watt at a time."

You know what the most valuable asset both Zach Wahls and Tim Dwight have? Same answer for both. Their NAME. Their reputation. They're not going to lend that out lightly.

Zach Wahls and Tim Dwight are both supporting Anesa Kajtazovic. Here's how Dwight put it in an email to Kajtazovic supporters:

I am supporting Anesa because she gets it. I have worked with Anesa in the Iowa House to pass Iowa's first legislative solar incentives and I can tell you--she is a true champion for solar and renewable energy.

It's more important than ever that we address our energy demands through clean and renewable sources and we need someone in Washington who is going to do that. Anesa is a game-changer and we need her vision and fresh ideas in Congress.

In my years as a Hawkeye football player I learned that it takes hard work and passion to win and Anesa has both.